But I think
there has been nothing in Massachusetts, and so far as I am
aware there has seldom been anything in the country anywhere
like the years from 1869 until 1877, when General Butler's
power was at its height. You could hardly take up a morning
paper without dreading that you should read of the removal
from some position of honor of some brave honest soldier who
had deserved well of his country, and the substitution of
some disreputable person in his place. All the dishonesty
of the time seemed to be combined and rallied to his support.
Three of his trusted lieutenants in different parts of the
Commonwealth were convicted of crime and sent to the State
Prison. Another was detected in crime punishable by imprisonment
in the State Prison, but escaped prosecution by a compromise.
Still another was compelled to flee the country for a series
of forgeries, finding refuge in a South American State with
which we had no treaty of extradition. Still another was
indicted for frauds which wrecked a National bank, and escaped
conviction by a technicality. Still another was compelled
to flee from the Commonwealth by the detection of some notorious
frauds.
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